We are doubtless familiar with the
division of the Bible into two main segments, which we call the ‘Old Testament’
and the ‘New Testament’. The ‘Old Testament’ period is the time of God’s dealing
with man from his creation until the time of Christ. The ‘Law’ was given to
God’s chosen people during this period,
through Moses. The people to whom it was given are referred to as being under
the ‘Covenant of The Law’. The coming of Christ, in accordance with God’s
eternal plan, as foretold by the prophets in the OT, ushered in another period,
a period of grace, under a ‘New’ covenant in and through Christ.The people to whom this new covenant applies
are referred to as being under the ‘Covenant of Promise’ (or, the Covenant of
Grace). Lets’ examine the nature of each of these two covenants separately.

Under law (under the Old Covenant)

After redeeming his chosen people
from bondage in Egypt, God
declared his righteous requirements in the giving of the Ten Commandments to
Moses on Mount Sinai. These commandments,
often referred to as ‘the law’ reflected God’s character, and established the
measure of God’s absolute moral standards and perfect righteousness and
holiness. The standards were not issued in the form of an ‘information
bulletin’ about God’s character. They took the form of commands “Thou shall….”
and “thou shalt not”. Through them God’s intent was clearly shown that all who
would be his covenant people must meet
his holy requirements. As with all prior covenants, God initiated this
covenant. Man had no part in its formulation. The terms were God’s terms, being
neither suggested nor endorsed by nor requiring the approval of man. The first
four commands had to do directly with man’s relationship to God. The following
six dealt directly with man’s relationship to fellow man.However, the term ‘the law’ has a much
broader scope. In its fullest sense, to the people in the OT, it referred not
only to the Decalogue but also to an elaborate set of rules concerning
ceremonial, dietary, worship and other laws, instituted through Moses. All of
these additional rules of conduct decisively separated the Israelites from the
people and the prevailing religious and social customs around them. Through these
requirements, God made known his holiness, not just to his people but also to
the surrounding nations. The Law included provision for unintentional sin
through the institution of a sacrificial system. God gave his chosen people a
specifically chosen and appointed priesthood to administer this system and to
be the sole agency through which the sacrificial offerings were acceptable to
God. The system, through its necessity for repeated sacrifices, clearly showed
its impermanence, and pointed to the necessity for a ‘once for all’ (i.e.,
never to be repeated) provision. The covenanted people (the Israelites) were
obliged to meet all the righteous
requirements of the law in a very literal
way. For example, there was no forgiveness of sin without the prescribed sacrificial
offering which involved the life of the victim in the place of the sinner.Those who were obligated under the terms of
this ‘Old’ covenant are described as
being ‘under law.’